From the Depths of My Heart
by pandorabox82
Summary: When Andrea is brutally attacked, Sharon has to deal with taking care of her friend, dealing with her burgeoning feelings for the woman, and bringing the perpetrator to justice. When the FBI's BAU is called in, it's just one more detail to deal with. Will she be able to get along with Erin Strauss long enough to catch the perp, and end up with the girl?
1. Chapter 1

"It's such a beautiful night," Andy said as he picked up his glass of wine. Sharon nodded absently as she stared out at the beach, listening to the waves crash. There was something so soothing about the sound, and she found herself lulled into a light trance, even as she tried to appear interested in the chatter that he was trying to engage her in. It was nothing against him, but she just seemed unable to hold her concentration that evening.

"It is," she finally murmured, taking a sip of her wine before letting a light sigh slip from her lips.

"Where is your head today?"

Sharon shrugged a little, pursing her lips as she tried to regain some semblance of interest in the meal still before her. "I just miss Rusty more than usual, I guess. And even though I know that we're living as if Stroh isn't out there, hovering over our every move, our every decision, I still can't help but think about the hypotheticals. And wishing that things could have turned out a little differently."

Andy reached across the table and took her hand in his. The touch was sure, gentle, and everything that she knew that she should be desiring. But in that moment, all she could imagine were long, elegant, fingers tripping up and down her arm, a fall of blonde hair obscuring eyes that saw too much, and a smirk that spoke more of dirty deeds than any words could. "There's always that one that got away. And it's not like he'll be under the radar now. Everyone knows his face."

"I suppose," she hummed as she pulled her hand away and picked up her wine glass, taking another sip. She tried not to wince when she saw the quick look of hurt that flickered across his face before he was able to conceal it. "Look, Andy, I know that we've been having dinner together with more regularity," she began, wanting to let him down gently, to tell him that while she might love him as a friend, she wasn't in love with him, she was in love with someone she had least expected and could never even hope to be with, only to be interrupted by the buzzing of her phone.

"One second, I'm getting a call, too, Sharon."

She frowned a little, knowing that meant that they were being called to a crime scene. Given that it was the middle of the night, her first thought was that it would not be a good case. Not that they ever were, but the more brutal ones always seemed to occur when she had let her guard down and tried to relax for even a moment. Bringing the phone to her ear, she said, "Raydor, here."

"Captain, I hope that I'm not interrupting anything. It's just, Major Crimes has been asked to work a case, and I need for you to get here as soon as possible. And if you see Lieutenant Flynn, bring him along, too."

"That shouldn't be too much of a problem, Julio," she replied, listening to Tao prattle on in the background. Now, where do I need to go?"

"I'll text the address to your phone, it'll be quicker that way."

"All right, I'll be there as soon as I can," she replied before hanging up the phone and waiting for his text.

"There's no need, Sharon, I have the address on my phone here. Tao told me what it was right away. I'll drive, since you've had a little bit of wine."

"Thanks, Andy," Sharon said lowly as she got to her feet, shoving her phone back in her pocket as she slung her purse strap over her shoulder and following him out the door. She was a little surprised when he thrust the phone into her hands, and she looked at the address. For some reason, it seemed vaguely familiar, and she tried to put the pieces together as Andy sped away into the night.

It wasn't until the scenery began to look vaguely familiar that she realized they were heading in the direction of Andrea's home. "I know, Sharon. But I wasn't given any of the details, just told that we had to get over here right away."

"Oh." That simple utterance sounded so sad slipping from her lips, and she fought to keep a tight rein on her emotions, not wanting Andy to see how scared she was that something was seriously wrong.

The closer they got to Andrea's home, the more she began to focus in on the lights and sirens that spoke of official police business. The knot that had slowly been forming in her stomach twisted and sank, bring her heart down with it, and Sharon found herself blinking back tears. "Andrea will be fine, Sharon. She's a strong person."

"I know. It's just disconcerting, as always, when the crime scene is so close to a friend's home. Besides, we don't know if it's her home or not. Right?"

From the set of his shoulders, Sharon knew that she was grasping at straws, and she slumped in her seat as he pulled up next to the familiar black and whites. Her frantic eyes darted around to try and see where Andrea was, and then she focused in on the ambulance. "Sharon," she heard Andy say as she pushed open the car door and tumbled out, almost running over to the vehicle, her heart trying to pound its way out of her chest as she got closer and closer.

"Andrea," she whispered as she looked inside, taking in the sheet that was draped over her friend, covering her body from the curious gaze of onlookers. Jerking her head from side to side, she tried to find a paramedic who could tell her what was going on, but there wasn't one nearby. A hand on her upper arm startled her, and she whirled around to see Provenza at her side, a grim expression on his face. "Louie, what's happened?"

"Someone attacked ADA Hobbs in her home this evening. When our boys came to the scene, they recognized her and called us to here. She's pretty banged up."

"Did you get a statement from her?" Provenza shook his head and she sighed. "I suppose that I should ride in with her and try to suss out what happened."

"Good luck with that. She's refusing to speak to any of us. Hopefully, you can get through to her, since you're closer to her than any of us." The older cop reached out and touched her arm lightly. "It's not pretty, Captain. Don't go over there expecting simple little bruises and then blanch when you see what that monster did to her."

A small shudder coursed through her body as she nodded. "I'm prepared for the worst, Louie."

"No, you're not, Sharon. Not in this case. This is your friend, and what you might feel is appropriate for the situation might not be in this case. She's going to want you as friend, but she's going to need you to be Darth Raydor and bring this son of a bitch to justice."

"And you're going to help me do that, right?"

"Would you expect any less of me?" he asked wryly, and she shook her head. "Now head over there and keep her company as she rides to the hospital. Be her friend in the ambulance, that's what she'll need most."

"I'll try, Louie." They shared a smile and then she strode over to the ambulance, taking deep breaths as she tried to calm her spirit, knowing that Andrea needed her to be strong. And she would not let her friend down.


	2. Chapter 2

The closer that Sharon got to the ambulance, the more she worried that she would be able to say the right thing to Andrea. There was never a good way to broach the subject of assault, and when it happened to a friend, the situation was even more fraught with landmines that she would have to dodge.

From the corner of her eye, she watched Andy approach Provenza and Tao, and she felt her shoulders relax a little, knowing that the best members of her team would be able to make headway on what had happened here tonight. Sharon knew that she would have to turn most of her focus on her friend and figure out how to best help Andrea. Finally, she was by the side of an EMT, and she reached out to touch his shoulder lightly. "Is Andrea awake?"

"She is, though we're getting ready to take her to the hospital. Whatever questions you need to ask, you'll need to make them quick."

She bristled a little at the brusque tone the man took, a frown turning her lips down as her eyes darted over to look at her friend. "I was planning on riding along with you to the hospital. I'll need to be there to collect the evidence." Her voice had taken on a low, deadly, tone which caused the younger man to gulp a little before nodding. "Good. Now, if you'd be so kind, I'll need your help getting into the rig."

"Yes, ma'am," he quietly replied, holding out his hand. Sharon clasped it and used his arm to leverage herself up inside, sliding along the bench until she was next to Andrea's head. The younger woman turned her face away, and it was then that Sharon saw her lovely blonde hair was matted and sticky with blood. She had to swallow thickly, as her supper was trying to make a reappearance.

"Andrea? Are you up to talking with me?" she asked as she reached out and clasped her hand, threading their fingers together. Andrea went to pull her hand away, and she shook her head a little, tightening her grip. "Honey?"

That simple word caused Andrea's eyes to close, and a few tears began to roll down her cheeks. The mother in Sharon wanted to bundle Andrea up in a tight hug, whispering in her ear that everything would be all right. She knew that was a lie, that it would take time for Andrea to heal, and that things would never be the same, no matter what. However, she had to think of her job in this case. The time for emotions would come later.

Squaring her shoulders, Sharon leaned in and watched Andrea's face carefully. "Andrea, I need to ask you some questions."

The blonde shook her head, wincing as she did so, trying to turn her body away from Sharon. Letting out a deep sigh, Sharon let go of her hand and brought her hand up to brush a piece of hair away from the younger woman's eyes. The sound of the rig's doors slamming shut startled them both, and Andrea fumbled around for Sharon's hand, grasping it so tightly that she thought the woman might break a bone if she wasn't careful. And then, their eyes met, and any thoughts of her personal care fled.

"Don't leave me," she whispered before closing her eyes once more. Even as she turned onto her side, she didn't let go of Sharon's hand, and the contact was bittersweet to her heart.

"I promise, Andrea. I will be by your side every step of the way."

"Good."

Taking a deep breath, she looked at the paramedic and narrowed her eyes a little, assessing him. "I'll need to ask you a few questions about what happened to Ms. Hobbs this evening. She's not ready to give me any details, and I do not want to push her."

Andrea squeezed her hand in an unsteady tattoo, letting Sharon know that she was grateful for the consideration, even if she couldn't vocalize those words. "What do you need to know?" he asked as he took a seat next to her, the rig starting to move as soon as he was seated.

"What happened?"

"As near as I can tell, Ms. Hobbs was attacked in her home this evening. The assailant bashed her head against something, which gave her a large laceration on her scalp, and is the reason for our concern. Head wounds are nothing to mess around with."

"And will we have to…"

"Perform a rape kit? Yes." Andrea's shoulders began to shake with his words, and Sharon firmed her grip, trying to let Andrea know that there was no way on earth that she would abandon her now. "From our cursory examination on the scene, there was extreme tearing and bruising to her genitals. And…"

"There's more?" she asked a bit incredulously, wondering what the assailant had done to her Andrea.

"Unfortunately, yes. I'm assuming this is what will make it a Major Crime," he murmured before trying to lift the thin sheet that was covering Andrea's body. With more strength than Sharon realized the woman possessed, she wrenched her hand free from their clasp and slammed it down onto the gurney.

"No."

"Andrea, honey, one of us is going to have to see and take pictures. And at this point, I know that you would prefer it to be either me or Amy. May I please look at what the paramedic is trying to show me?"

There was a long silence, and slowly, Andrea turned her head, meeting Sharon's gaze. There were tears gathering in the corner of her eyes, and she tried to give her a smile, though it wobbled a bit. Andrea finally gave a short, sharp, nod before turning her face away once more.

Sharon patted Andrea's hand gently before giving a pointed look at the paramedic. He seemed to take the hint, as he suddenly found himself quite busy with something that directed his gaze away from them. Tenderly, she lifted the sheet, focusing her gaze on the bare skin of her torso. The fresh wound marred otherwise flawless porcelain skin, and Sharon gasped a little at the crude mark.

"It's going to leave a scar. It's a good thing that I had planned on being single for the rest of my life." Sharon dropped the sheet, and picked up Andrea's hand, once more threading their fingers together. Andrea shuddered a little, and without meaning to, Sharon leaned in and kissed her cheek, wanting to comfort her in that moment. She tasted the salt of the younger woman's tears and let out a tiny hum of sadness. "Sharon, what am I going to do?"

"Let me take the lead for a little bit. I'll do my best to protect you, even though it won't be much. I know that everyone is going to be in your space, honey. I can try and be a buffer."

"That would be really nice," she whispered, giving her a wry smile before closing her eyes and wincing a little. "My head really hurts, and all I want to do is go to sleep."

"They probably won't let you until they know if you have a concussion or not. I know that you've been shot before, but this is nothing like that. If I tell you a story, will you be able to stay awake?"

"It all depends on what voice you use." Sharon let out a light laugh. "I'm serious! I've heard you drop your voice down to a sweet sibilance, lulling a perp into a false sense of security before you pounce on him. But oh, in that moment before your voice changes, it is the most…" Andrea's voice trailed off, as if she had been about to reveal something personal. Sharon didn't push her, though, wanting to let her have some privacy in this most intimate moment.

"All right, so I'll have to tell you a story and not put you to sleep. I'll let you choose."

"Tell me about your first love."

Sharon drew in a deep breath as she nodded, thinking back to her teenage years, and the first person she had ever fallen for. She only hoped that Andrea would be able to understand everything that she told her.


End file.
